The past and the future.
This week we begin to read the final book of the Torah, Sefer Devarim, The Book of Deuteronomy. The Hebrew name for the book – Devarim – comes from an early word in the first sentence of the first chapter. This is how all the other books – Bereishit, Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar – are known also. The English name, Deuteronomy, is not really English. It is a Greek word meaning the “repetition of the law” and it reflects the content of the book ahead. In this final book, Moses, at the end of his leadership, begins the process of succession, and reviews for the Israelites all of the various laws given over the years from Sinai to the place overlooking Jericho.
It strikes me that the two part process of reviewing the law and establishing new leadership is a kind of paradox. On the one hand, it is a review. Moses not only goes over all of the mitzvot given previously, but gives detailed narratives of the history of the Israelites in the desert. And it’s not all good! He tells the history of their failures, rebellions, and flaws, as he goes over all the details of the commandments. The focus is on what WAS, on past history, on what came before.
In contrast, the establishment of new leadership is all about looking forward, and preparing for life in the Holy Land, Eretz Yisrael, which will be far different from the nomadic life of the desert. Making sure that there is a structure in place for the coming generation is all about what lies, ahead. Not on the failures of past leadership, but on what WILL be, and what comes next.
These two points of focus, the formative road of the past, and the emerging path of the future, were vital for our ancestor’s survival in the Holy Land. I suggest they are vital to us as well. Without both a grounding in the past, and a vision for the future, they, and we, can not face the challenges ahead, grounded in an honest assessment of who we were and what we were capable of.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Hillel Norry
I was so looking forward to sharing Shabbat together and spending a more extended time getting to know Columbia. Unfortunately, I contracted Covid while out of town last weekend, and will not be able to be in town for Shabbat. I will not have had the recommended isolation time, and though I am getting better, I don’t want to jeopardize myself or others. I still plan to come to town on Monday, for our Tisha B’Av program, and look forward to seeing y’all then. Thank you and Shabbat Shalom.